Electric control assembly



Aug. 7, 1956 G. J. MUCHER 2,758,182

ELECTRIC CONTROL ASSEMBLY Filed Jan. 7. 1954 mgm ATTO R N EY.

United States Patent O ELECTRIC CONTROL ASSEMBLY George J. Mucher,Rochester, N. H., assignor to Clarostat Mfg. Co., Inc., Dover, N. H., acorporation of New York Application January 7, 1954, Serial No. 402,764

11 Claims. (Cl. 201-48) This invention relates to a structurally andfunctionally improved control assembly of the electrical type and in itsmore specific aspects, aims to provide a ganged potentiometer groupingof the plug-in type.

Primary objects of the present invention are those of providing anassembly embracing a number of control units such as potentiometers.These will be operated, for example, by a single shaft; the entiregrouping of apparatus, in effect, forming one solid body, with itscomponent parts maintained in proper positions. Moreover, the shaft andbushings of the assembly will remain in strict concentricity.

A further object is that of providing an apparatus of this nature inwhich the cups or bodies of the control units will be maintained inproper axial alignment and also in right-angle relationship to the axisof the assembly; this relationship being maintained under rigorous useand despite variations in temperature conditions tending to expand andcontract the parts.

Still another object is that of accomplishing the desired results bymeans of a structure which is relatively simple and capable of use andmaintenance by ordinarily skilled labor.

With these and other objects in mind, reference is had to the attachedsheet of drawings, illustrating practical embodiments of the inventionand in which:

Fig. l is an end view of the assembly;

Fig. 2 is a partly sectional side View thereof taken along the line 22in the direction of the arrows as indicated in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the end of the assembly opposite to that shownin Fig. 1 with certain of the parts broken away to disclose underlyingstructure;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional and fragmentary view takenalong the line 4 4 in the direction of the arrows as indicated in Fig.l.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation of an alternative assembly; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 6 6 in the direction ofthe arrows as in Fig. 5.

As will be seen with particular reference to Figs. 1 and 2, the numerals10 and 11 indicate the end plates of the assembly which may terminate inbracket portions 12. intervening these end plates are the bodies ofcontrols. These have been designated by the numeral 13 and arepreferably formed of an insulating plastic. The bodies or cups 13 mayembrace any suitable number and are of any proper design including, forexample, resistances 14 and rotor assemblies (not shown). As many as 18of these potentiometers may be included in a single assembly and thewhole should form one solid body embracing rigid characteristics withthe parts properly aligned with respect to each other.

Cups 13 are each formed with transversely extending bores 15 (forexample, three in number) and which align with each other when these.cups are assembled. Common to each of these bores are rods or bolts 16which, as shown, may be threaded throughout their entire length PatentedAug. 7, 1956 ICC or be otherwise suitably formed to furnish mounting andadjusting threads at the Zones adjacent which they will align with theouter surfaces different from cups 13. Those cups, as illustrated inFigs. 2 and 4, will preferably have their opposite side facessubstantially smooth so that they can lie in hrm, face-to-face Contact.Adjacent the entrance and exit ends of a bore individual to a body 13,that bore is preferably enlarged as at 17; reference being had primarilyto Fig. 4. At these points, the threads of rod 16 mount nuts 18,conveniently provided with slots or other tool-engaging portions 19. Theheight of these nuts 18 should be equal to each other and also to theheight of a pair of adjacent enlarged bore portions 17.

This will be true throughout the entire assembly, excepting only theouter faces of the outermost cups 13. Within the enlarged bore portionsof the latter cup faces, nuts 2l) will be disposed, which are providedwith slots or other manipulating portions 21. Nuts 2t) will be one half,or less than the height of nuts 18. The length of the rods 16 is suchthat they extend throughout the entire gang of potentiometers and beyondthe same through openings in the end plates 10 and 11. They also extendthrough the openings of spacer sheets 22, preferably formed ofinsulating material and intervening the end plates 1) and 11 and thefaces of adjacent cups 13. As shown, plate 11 may have the openings forthe accommodation of the ends of rods 16 formed with threads to engagewith the rod thread. At the opposite end of the assembly, nuts 23 may bemounted on the ends of the rods, and Washers 24 are convenientlyinterposed between these nuts and the outer face of plate 10.

With bodies or cups 13 forming parts of controls such as potentiometers,plug-in pins 24 extend from each unit. These pins are mounted uponplates 25 which are suitably attached one to each of bodies 13. Also,test terminals such as 26 may extend from each unit to permit of thetesting of the latter without the necessity of disassembling theapparatus. An operating shaft 27 common to all of the cups extendsthrough the assembly and is secured in any suitable manner againstmovement with respect to the rotors of the potentiometers. It also rideswithin the bushings (not shown) of the assemblies and a further bushing28 may be associated with plate 10 to support one end of the shaft. Asimilar bushing is also associated with the plate 11 and extends througha collar portion 29. A C-ring 30 is coupled with shaft 27 and rideswithin a groove formed in the latter to prevent axial shifting of thatshaft.

Based upon the foregoing structure, it will be understood that onemethod of procedure would be that of threading the ends of rods 16 intothe correspondingly threaded openings of plate 11. Thereupon, a spacersheet 22 could be positioned upon these rods and moved to a station atwhich it lies in face-to-face contact with plate 11. At this time, orpreviously, the parts of the assembly may be applied to or associatedwith a mounting frame or other gauging means in showing the absoluteproper relationship of the cups and the parts associated therewith. Thisframe or gauging means may also have associated with it electricalattachments which permit the accurate phasing of the electrical elementsof the assembly either separately or in relation to each other. In anyevent, nuts such as 21 will now be disposed in proper positions upon therods 16 and a body or cup 13, which is to provide the outermost unit,will receive within its bores 15 the several rods 16. When this cup hasbeen properly positioned, then it may be secured in that position byintroducing into its enlarged bore portions (opposite those disposedadjacent sheet 22) nuts 18. The latter will bear irmly against the baseportions defining the bores 17 and in conjunction with nuts 20 willassure the desired result.

It is to be remembered that nuts 18 have a height equal to twice that ofthe enlarged bore portions 17. Therefore, when this first set of nutshas been properly disposed, the outer end portions of the same willextend beyo-nd the adjacent surface of cup 13 which they retain. Soextended, these projecting parts will, in effect, furnish dowel or guidepins which may be received in the enlarged bore portions of the nextadjacent cup 13 which is moved over the rods 16. Accordingly, the latterwill be guided to a proper position where it is in face-to-face contactwith the rst cup 13 and be maintained against axial rotation withrespect to that first cup. The foregoing operations will be continuedthroughout the assembly including up to a maximum number of cups o-rbodies 13. When the outermost unit has been secured in position by nuts2t? and against the possibility of axial or transverse displacement,then a sheet 22 and end plate 1li will be applied to the assembly and inturn secured in position by, for example, nuts 23. lt is to beremembered that rods 16 may conveniently move with freedom through theopenings formed in plate and bodies 13, while their threads engage theopenings in plate 11. Therefore, longitudinal adjustment or shifting ofthese rods with respect to the assembly becomes feasible and whereversuch an adjustment may be desirable or necessary, prior to assembly.

By a construction such as this, it is obvious that all the cups orbodies 13 will be maintained in strict axial alignment. Also, they willbe retained in rigorous right-angle relationship to the axis of theassembly and with movement of one cup with respect to adjacent cupsprecluded. The shaft 27 will be maintained in proper relationship withrespect to the several bushings. Accordingly, the precision phasing ofthe apparatus will not be disturbed under any circumstances. Also, therelationship of pins 24 in one assembly will not be varied, nor willshifting of these elements between various assemblies occur. This isespecially important when it is realized that the tolerance allowed withrespect to these pins may be as high as two thousandths of an inch.

As will be understood, the present invention might readily be adapted toa structure which would permit of a slight rotation of the cup forphasing adjustments. This has been illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6. Inthose views, the numeral 31 indicates the cups which conveniently wo-uldbe provided with recessed portions 32 in one of their side faces and aprojecting part 33 of corresponding size in their opposite faces. Thesecups would also be provided with transversely extending openingscorresponding to the bores 15. Such openings, however, instead of beingcircular, would extend a few degrees radially as indicated by thereference numeral 34. Rods 35 would extend through the bores 34 andcorrespond to rods 16. Likewise, these rods would mount nuts 36corresponding to the nuts 18 and 2t? and which would lie within thecountersunk or enlarged bore portions of the several bodies. Theseenlarged portions, in common with bores 34 would also have an oblongconfiguration.

As will be apparent, projecting portion 33 of one cup will extend intorecess 32 of an adjacent cup. This would permit of relative rotation ofthe cups although preventing any sideways shifting of the same. Withsuch rotation occurring, it is apparent that a suitable phasingadjustment could be resorted to. This would be in addition to anyadjustment of the internal mechanism which might form a part of therotor assembly. With the tightening of the entire assembly as describedin connection with the structure of Figs. l to 4 inclusive, any shiftingof the several components of the assembly would be precluded.

Thus, among others, the several objects of the invention as specificallyaforenoted are achieved. Obviously, numerous changes in construction andrearrangements of the parts might be resorted to without departing fromthe spirit of the invention as defined by the claims.

I claim:

l. In an assembly of the character described in cornbination a pluralityof controls each including a body formed with an opening, a singlemounting member common to all of said bodies and passing through theopenings thereof, anchoring elements individually thrusting against saidbodies, means whereby said elements are adjustably supported withrespect to said mounting member, said openings being enlarged adjacent aside face of said body and the height of Vthe element received thereinbeing greater than the single depth of such enlargement whereby saidelement projects beyond said side face.

2. A control assembly including in combination a plurality of cups to bedisposed adjacent each other, said cups being formed with transverselyextending openings providing in aggregate a bore extendinglongitudinally of the assembly, a single rod lying within said bore andelements mounted by said rod and each individually engaging surfaces ofa pair of adjacent cups to secure the latter against movement withrespect to each other.

3. A control assembly including in combination a plurality of cups to bedisposed adjacent each other, said cups being formed with transverseopenings providing in aggregate a bore extending longitudinally of theassembly, a rod lying Within said bore, elements mounted by said rod andindividually engaging said cups to secure the latter against movementwith respect to each other, means whereby said elements may be shiftedlongitudinally of said rod, said transverse openings being pro-videdwith countersunk portions adjacent the side faces of said cups, saidelements extending into said countersunk portions and the height ofcertain individual elements being equal to the aggregate height of apair of countersunk portions to completely fill the space defined by thelatter.

4. A control assembly including in combination a plurality of cups to bedisposed adjacent each other, said cups being formed with transverselyextending openings which are oblong in an arcuate direction, saidopenings providing in aggregate a bore extending longitudinally of thesame, a single rod lying within said bore and elements mounted by saidrod and individually engaging said cups to secure the latter againstmovement with respect to each other.

5. A control assembly including in combination a plurality of cups to bedisposed adjacent each other, said cups being formed with transverselyextending openings which are oblong in an arcuate direction, saidopenings providing in aggregate a bore extending longitudinally of thesame, a single rod lying within said bore, elements mounted by said rodand individually engaging said cups to secure the latter againstmovement with respect to each other and cooperating guiding portionsforming parts of and extending between said cups whereby rotation of onecup with respect to an adjacent cup may be effected.

6. A ganged potentiometer assembly including in combination a pluralityof cups disposed in parallel relationship and each formed with boresextending through and within the area of their side walls from one sideface of the cup body through to the other, bearing portions Within saidbores at points short of Stich side faces, the bores of the several cupsbeing aligned, a single screw-threaded rod extending through and locatedwithin the aligned bores and nuts mounted upon such rod and engagingsaid bearing portions to maintain said cups in predetermined positionsupon such rod.

7. A ganged potentiometer assembly including in combination a pluralityof cups disposed in parallel relationship and each formed with boresextending through and within the area of their side walls from one sideyface of the cup body through to the other, bearing portions within saidbores at points short of such side faces, the bores of the several cupsbeing aligned, a single screw-threaded rod extending through and housedwithin the aligned bores, nuts mounted upon such rod and engaging saidbearing 5 portions to maintain said cups in predetermined positions uponsuch rod, said nuts having a length such that they extend simultaneouslyinto two adjacent cup bores to provide a guide structure in theplacement of one of said cups and said nuts having a diameter tosubstantially till said bores.

8. A ganged potentiometer assembly including in combination a pluralityof cups disposed in parallel relationship and each formed With boresextending through and within the area of their side Walls from one sideface of the cup body through to the other, bearing portions within saidbores at points short of such side faces, the bores of the several cupsbeing aligned, a single screw-threaded rod extending through and housedwithin the aligned bores, nuts mounted upon such rod and engaging saidbearing portions to maintain said cups in predetermined positions uponsuch rod, said nuts having a diameter to substantially lill said boresand an end plate formed with threaded openings to be engaged by the rodthreads.

9. A ganged potentiometer assembly including, in combination, aplurality of superposed units arranged in faceto-face contact and eachcomprising bodies formed with transversely extending bores toindividually receive a bolt, said bores having constrictions providingbearing portions housed Within said bodies, a single threaded boltextending through the aligned bores of the different bodies, nutsmounted by said bolt to thrust against said bearing portions, and saidnuts being housed within said bores.

l0. An assembly as specified in claim 9, the height of one nut being inexcess of the spacing between a bearing portion which it engages and theface of the body embracing such portion, and said nut thereby extendingbeyond said face to furnish a dowel to enter the bore of an adjacentbody and guide the latter to assume a predetermined position withrespect to the unit from which it projects.

11. An assembly as specified in claim 9, end plates beyond the outermostof the units, said plates being formed with openings through which theends of said bolt extend, and means for securing the latter againstmovement with respect to said plates.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,431,749 Grant Dec. 2, 1947

